Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.5.24

gate 'tha durvasasi so 'mbarisho

dvijopayogatipavitram aharat

risher vimoksham vyasanam ca vikshya

mene sva-viryam ca paranubhavam

SYNONYMS

gate -- on his return; atha -- then; durvasasi -- the great mystic yogi Durvasa; sah -- he, the King; ambarishah -- Maharaja Ambarisha; dvija-upayoga -- most suitable for a pure brahmana; ati-pavitram -- very pure food; aharat -- gave him to eat and he also ate; risheh -- of the great sage; vimoksham -- release; vyasanam -- from the great danger of being burned by the Sudarsana cakra; ca -- and; vikshya -- seeing; mene -- considered; sva-viryam -- about his own power; ca -- also; para-anubhavam -- because of his pure devotion to the Supreme Lord.

TRANSLATION

After one year, when Durvasa Muni had returned, King Ambarisha sumptuously fed him all varieties of pure food, and then he himself also ate. When the King saw that the brahmana Durvasa had been released from the great danger of being burned, he could understand that by the grace of the Lord he himself was also powerful, but he did not take any credit, for everything had been done by the Lord.

PURPORT

A devotee like Maharaja Ambarisha is certainly always busy in many activities. Of course, this material world is full of dangers that one has to meet, but a devotee, because of his full dependence on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is never disturbed. The vivid example is Maharaja Ambarisha. He was the emperor of the entire world and had many duties to perform, and in the course of these duties there were many disturbances created by persons like Durvasa Muni, but the King tolerated everything, patiently depending fully on the mercy of the Lord. The Lord, however, is situated in everyone's heart (sarvasya caham hridi sannivishtah), and He manages things as He desires. Thus although Maharaja Ambarisha was faced with many disturbances, the Lord, being merciful to him, managed things so nicely that in the end Durvasa Muni and Maharaja Ambarisha became great friends and parted cordially on the basis of bhakti-yoga. After all, Durvasa Muni was convinced of the power of bhakti-yoga, although he himself was a great mystic yogi. Therefore, as stated by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad-gita (6.47):

yoginam api sarvesham

mad-gatenantaratmana

sraddhavan bhajate yo mam

sa me yuktatamo matah

"Of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." Thus it is a fact that a devotee is the topmost yogi, as proved in the dealings of Maharaja Ambarisha with Durvasa Muni.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness